Chasing Bats and Tracking Rats

July 15, 2021
An ecologist offers glimpses of scientists at work exploring the "urban jungle." Guy kicks off her set of episodic profiles with a description of her own studies of brown bats in Toronto's High Park. She then introduces fellow researchers tracking city-dwelling creatures, from rats and native bees to bears and coyotes, mapping microclimates in different city neighborhoods, or organizing censuses--in locales ranging from Vancouver to South Africa. Though it's a swiftly moving survey, the discourse digs down deep enough to suggest that, counterintuitively, some species seem to do better in urban than natural environments, to call attention to potential ecological effects of redlining and gentrification, and to describe an encounter between a Black bird counter and a hostile White woman in North Carolina as prelude to a discussion of racial bias. Better yet, nearly all of the scientists here are women and at least three, including the author, people of color. For both specific portraits and certain scenes like a gallery of urban animal butts readers are challenged to identify, photographs would have done better service, but Li's substantial mix of naturalistic animal silhouettes and silk-screen-style scenes of scientists engaged in outdoorsy tasks does add some visual detail as well as bright notes of color. The closing resource list is substantial, though light on material for younger audiences. An uneven but wide-angled look at our closest neighbors...welcome and otherwise. (index, glossary) (Nonfiction. 9-11)

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February 1, 2022

Gr 2-6-This work takes a unique and effective approach to educating middle graders on urban ecology. Rather than the clinical removal of a typical science nonfiction book, the author uses personal narrative and anecdotes in addition to more traditional fact-based writing on current issues in ecology. Each chapter introduces a friend in the urban ecology field with a pithy vignette about their interactions with wildlife or nature, and then a description of their field of study and its key issues. Especially delightful is the representation of urban ecologists who are frequently marginalized in science; all of the collegial friends she features are women and/or POC (the author is Black). She directly addresses how bias and policing against ecologists who are, for example, Black or Indigenous, hurts the process of science and, by extension, the protection of our ecosystem. The inclusion of real people with exciting careers and passions makes the book highly readable yet informative enough to supplement a research project. Importantly, urban wildlife, including bats, rats, bees, bears, coyotes, and insects are destigmatized and depicted as valuable city dwellers worthy of respect and tolerance. Her warm, personal approach to science is inviting, while Li's stylized illustrations are contemporary, fun, and enrich the text. VERDICT Acute yet entertaining writing on an exciting and diverse cohort of real-life scientists makes this book a wonderful urban ecology text for an elementary or even middle school library.-Mallory Weber

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